leedinbo

We are planning a trip to Europe summer 2006 and have been told that the best airfares are had 60 days in advance of travel. We are trying to balance the budget with making sure we get seats to our destinations. Any experience with this. Thanks.

rex

Getting advice about best prices on airfares is a very common question here. Advising is almost impossible without knowing your origination, and intended destination(s).

While some good fares are (still) available at sixty days before departure, (the relatively rare best bargai) summer fares will often appear in February, March or April. And they may disappear in a half day or less.

Knowing how many people, how flexible are your dates and any other special requirements can likewise be important.

I receommend fare watcher on Travelocity, Expedia, etc.

... and following the Cheap Flights forum of www.eurotrip.com

Best wishes,

Rex Bickers
Floyds Knobs, Indiana

Holly_uncasdewar

And it's never too early to start watching fares, so you'll get an idea of what's high, and recognize a low one when you see it. I wouldn't count on the 60 day rule.

WillTravel

I saw a fare recently that lasted for about 24 hours. It was for the summer, to London or Manchester on BMI, from various US cities, and I very much doubt it will be beaten. Sadly I can't commit to any dates as yet.

In 2004, I got airfare in February for July, and I kept checking but the price was never beaten.

In 2005, I got airfare for August in March. Again, the price wasn't beaten subsequently.

In all of these cases, though, I was able to recognize that this fare was at least 50% less than the fare one would normally "expect" for summer.

In 2005 in late August or early September, I got airfare for late December. The price later improved by about $20, due to exchange fluctuations, but when I bought it that had been the best price over a course of several months fluctuation.

I would start looking now, be as flexible as possible in your start and end points, and look as frequently as you feel like doing. I have to admit that looking for cheap airfares is more like a hobby than something that can be justified in terms of the hours spent. Keep an eye on the Mileage Run forum at Flyertalk, and the Cheap Flights forum at Eurotrip.com.

daisy58

I personally liken the search to daytrading! while you may save a few dollars, also keep in mind your departure city, as well as your arrival city, in terms of what times you want to leave/arrive, as well as local and foreign time zones, flight hours, etc.
Having these come together (no leaving venice airport at 6am aggggh) or arriving home at some ungodly hour) is worth a couple extra dollars, and an earlier ticket purchase. finding a low fare in relatively simple. finding a corresponding schedule, a little tougher.

RufusTFirefly

60 days could be cutting it a bit close, though there are sometimes last minute sales if an airline finds it's having trouble filling seats. One of the best fares we ever got was purchased 3 weeks before our flight, but I sure wouldn't count on something like that.

Generally, most often, usually--the best deals show up 3-4 months before the flight date. Earlier than that and airlines have no great incentive to lower prices to fill seats; later and most seats are often already filled.

Sometimes if an airline is on the verge of bankruptcy or has a troublesome cash-flow problem, they'll slash prices any old time to get an extra infusion of cash.

StCirq

I don't know who told you about the 60-day thing, but I think that's totally bogus. For summer fares, I usually find the best deals in February or March. For spring deals, I usually start looking in November or December. For autumn fares, I generally book about 3 months in advance. I call my consolidator and let him know when I want to fly and have him scout out the best deals for me, but it's rarely just a matter of 60 days in advance - that's cutting it too close. If you want to get the best deal you need to check all the websites pretty much daily for months in advance - or have someone do that for you.

Sarah

always a guessing game on airfare. Your best bet is to know what a good fare is and then strike while the iron is hot!
www.kayak.com good place to monitor fares

Last spring a lot of fares traditionally offered in fall were offered. I bought a very expensive ticket in the fall. I expected something of a jump because of rising fuel cost but they clearly filled all discount seats on AF in spring.... So yah never know unless you know what market rate on a fare is.

rkkwan

I agree with StCirq. Bogus. For summer travel, late-Jan to early-March may be the best time to get overall cheap fares. Not saying that you won't find cheap fares closer, just not very likely.